The Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday slammed claims by sources from the negotiation teams that Hamas proposed the idea of releasing six live hostages on Shabbos.
Israeli media reports on Tuesday, apparently quoting sources from the negotiation team, said that Hamas wants to quicken the hostage release process to ensure the release of terrorists released in the Shalit deal and then rearrested along with the entry of trailers and heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement, saying, “This is a new peak of absurdity and an echo of Hamas propaganda. The Prime Minister already declared a goal two weeks ago of releasing the rest of the live hostages from the first stage in a single group. The understandings were reached as a result of the Prime Minister’s firm stance and his instruction to increase the IDF forces around and within Gaza, as well as US President Trump’s ultimatum.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a senior source familiar with the details of the negotiations told reporters that the agreement to release six live hostages in one day and the return of four bodies tomorrow is a result of the Prime Minister’s decision to change the composition of the negotiation team.
Netanyahu recently appointed Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer as the head of the negotiation team, replacing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad head Dedi Barnea.
According to the source, the new negotiation team “changed the dynamics and led to a ‘give and take’ instead of a ‘give and give.'”
“It also ended the practice of regular and biased briefings against the Prime Minister and the political echelon, which only caused Hamas to entrench its position and add demands,” the source said.
According to Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal, the attack from the Prime Minister’s circle is directed specifically against Shin Bet chief Bar and not against Mossad chief Barnea. The report said that the attack will soon be followed by Bar’s dismissal.
Numerous reports in recent weeks said that Netanyahu is planning on dismissing Bar from his position.
A senior Shin Bet official who previously served as Bar’s deputy is now serving as the representative of the Shin Bet in the negotiations.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
It seems like the new leaders of Hamas want the heroism and to make the news and to own the Gaza, the prisoners are not necessarily friends, that already died for God, they want to go back to the start again as if October 7 was Israel fault not there’s